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-   -   Maruti Ciaz : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/156207-maruti-ciaz-official-review-133.html)

I own a VW Vento 1.6 petrol which was from their initial production lot. This car has been kind to me in terms of reliability but maintenance has been something I would like to forget. I have taken the car to three different dealers for service/maintenance and I can only say they are cheats. All are the same. I even complained to VW but no response. Not to say that Maruti dealers are much better. But the opportunity for them to cheat is less as parts are cheaper and Maruti responds better to complaints. I had a trouble free experience with the old Baleno before the Vento but wasn't thrilled with the service.

To put things into perspective regarding the Ciaz, I test drove the Ciaz diesel SHVS a few days ago and I came away truly impressed. It was way ahead of the old Baleno in terms of build and feel. I did not feel it gave up much to the Vento in terms of build and definitely had a better ride quality. I couldn't test the handling prowess thoroughly but was happy with whatever I experienced. Inside, for a diesel it was quiet and the acceleration though down on the Vento, was more than adequate and more than made up in the in-gear acceleration which is probably more relevant in a city like Mumbai.

I have driven the City as well and I personally prefer the Ciaz. The smart hybrid is also unique and a real bonus. To top it all, the Ciaz diesel is much cheaper than the City petrol variant for variant and hence better value. I don't think the new City will change that. The VW Vento and Skoda Rapid are nowhere near this in terms of value, quality or after sales.

And apart from the Linea 125S, none of the cars in this segment can be considered ENTHUSIAST cars.

My bad

Forgot to mention that the projector headlamp was standard in Ciaz across variants. Whearas in 2014 skoda rapid it was available only in elegance variant. And even now its available only in the top end Style variant. Launch date just 10 days apart. Ciaz hit showrooms much faster.

Any idea if and when Ciaz SmartPlay system (SLDA) will get any software / firmware update for Android Auto?

At the moment feeling little envious about Ignis owners ;) http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...eview-109.html

Hey Durango,

Yes the Ciaz AT is indeed a nice easy car to drive. I have lost count of the number of times I have taken a test drive for myself, for friends, cousins etc. I like this car a lot. Just 2 things I wish they would fix. The front centre armrest is placed too far back and a footrest for the left foot should be provided. The centre armrest problem can be fixed by simply adding a sliding function to the unit, like in the S Cross.

Otherwise it is a very good car. I have 2 family friends who bought the car after my recommendation and comparos and they are very happy. Both picked up the Ciaz AT and they get 12 kmpl mileage in Chennai city very easily with AC on always. 15-16 kmpl is what they get on highway trips.

The autobox is indeed well tuned. You can very easily touch 100-120 kmph with 4 people on board the car with the AC on. Very easy and comfy to drive in city traffic as well. The car does not feel like it has a small 1.4L engine under its hood, at all.

AC is very good too and with the rear sun blind on, and some good 3M sunfilm, it will be unmatched. Maruti car ACs are always pretty good.

As for the offer you have been given, yes that is what they are offering in Feb this year. They have a very good amount as corporate discount, exchange bonus, cash dealership discount etc. When I enquired and test drove the car in early Feb, I was given discounts worth 70k. So your 80k is even better. But I was not told that it would be 2016 stock. So I assumed it would be 2017 stock.

Anyhow if you are planning to keep the car for 5 years at least, this does not really matter. It is a very good deal and the ZXi+ automatic is a lovely one fully loaded. Just that I hate the overdose of beige. If I get a ZXi+ AT, I would probably get the car to a place like ColorGlo and get the interiors changed to an all black config like the Ciaz RS.

Price wise, I would say your prices are almost the same as what I got. I got these prices from ABT Maruti at Guindy, early this month.

VXi+ AT: INR 11,22,405 on road Chennai (INR 10,52,405 after discounts)
ZXi AT: INR 12,31,804 on road Chennai (INR 11,61,804 after discounts)
ZXi+ AT: INR 13,18,659 on road Chennai (INR 12,48,659 after discounts)

If you are seriously considering the Ciaz AT I would just say go for it.
The facelifted City prices are out, and it shows clearly that Honda has become even more greedy. The top end ZX model is just ridiculously priced. It will be more than 15L on road Chennai. So this means for the top end ZXi+ AT in Ciaz, you would easily save more than 2.5 lacs compared to the City.

If you are not so keen on the SmartPlay system and the 16 inch alloys and leather interior, then even the ZXi AT is excellent. You get all the other features, albeit with 15 inch alloys, 185/65/15 tyres and no reversing camera, though you do get reverse parking sensors. Even the sunblind for the rear windscreen is available in the ZXi model.

So with the ZXi, you can get your art leather interiors done, get a better stereo and speakers with amp if you are into music, and maybe a wider 195 or 205 size set of tyres, and you are done. With the ZXi+ AT however, just a speaker upgrade with or without amp, would do!

Hope the above info was helpful.

---Venkat

Got to know from the sales guy at a Maruti dealership that Ciaz will now be sold from Nexa dealership post March 2017. The much awaited 1.6 DDiS will make its debut in Ciaz in March 2017. The top model 1.6 will get cruise control as well.

Get that RS model back Maruti with all black interiors with side skirts, boot spoiler et all in top end 1.6!

Smart move. With Honda taking the City top spec to 17 lakhs OTR , Maruti has a little elbow space to nudge the Ciaz a little further up the chain. If only Maruti can introduce the 6 airbag versions, they will have a complete package.

Yes, Ciaz is due for an update! Even engines are changing, a new 1.5 litre petrol (M15) with a manual and CVT and a higher capacity diesel engine probably the DDiS 320. It's also moving to NEXA so the present lot will have some great discounts if one waits. Expected around April 2017, I guess. It dropped out of my scanner for this reason as I don't want a new car to look a generation old in a couple of months; what ever be the discounts!

Maruti Suzuki silently introduces crash test-compliant Ciaz and Ertiga. Meets the upcoming 2019 Bharat New Vehicle Safety norms.

Maruti Suzuki officials confirmed that the updated versions are already on sale.


Link

Biggest disadvantage after moving Ciaz to Nexa would be to get the servicing done via MASS , and you would be tied to Dealer Workshops.
These MASS cannot perform service or handle NEXA cars - as their systems are not able to open job cards for these cars. This is one the biggest disadvantage IMO - I would any day prefer a friendly MASS rather than dealer workshops.

I heard the same from a MASS personnel that 1.6 is coming.

However reading the forum post referenced here, http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...ew-capture.jpg, they have only imported the 1.6 engine thrice in 2016. From where are they going to get the 1.6 engines? They imported 384 engines of 1.6 DDiS in 2016 and it is fair to say that given S-cross sells 2100 units a month, and atleast 2% of them are 1.6, they would have exhausted the 1.6 engines by now

Which means the older version of ciaz was NOT meeting the basic safety standards! :Shockked:

Ciaz which was sold in international markets were having 4 star ratings and only after Govt. of India makes it mandatory they silently add these! :Frustrati so that existing customers would never know!

Atleast in new gen ciaz, i hope Maruthi provides the boot door with insulation, just like the new 2017 city. Its a stupid cost cutting measure and they should provide an option for existing customers too.

Well no surprise there, I think most of the companies adhere only to the standard prescribed by the government at that point of time. And I don't think this status quo is going to change anytime soon as well. I am not sure by when the 2019 standards will kick in, but if Maruti has done this proactively, then I guess we should be happy that we are getting a vehicle which is already meeting future mandated standards :)!!

Not all workshops can handle Nexa cars. But the larger workshops do handle them. The place I work at has a big workshop and I've frequently spotted Scrosses and Balenos for servicing.

Ideally, only the workshops which are shown in this link below can handle NEXA cars.

http://www.nexaexperience.com/service-locator.html

But I have seen many NEXA cars at my MASS too. The owners get them serviced at their own risk. The online system doesn't allow normal MASS to open a jobcard for these NEXA cars. In a nutshell, only dealer workshops and MSM(Maruti service masters) can handle them.

I recently asked the TSM of my regional Maruti office about the same, and he said there are people who have complained against this, since they are happy with normal MASS and they won't like to take their NEXA cars to dealer owned workshops. Maruti has silently allowed them to handle such cars, but the truth remains, they are not "ideally" allowed.

The MASS doesn't appear premium/well organised compared to these dealer owned large workshops. Hence Maruti doesn't want these small MASS to handle its premium cars.

Regards,
Shashi

my dad's suraksha ciaz lead confirmed that:
"Ciaz is just shifting to Nexa without any engine changes. Engine is going to remain the same.
They are taking bookings for Ciaz and it takes 30 days for delivery.
No new 1.6 engines or so for the Ciaz. Just rumour. He gave example of SX4 and said there were similar rumours for SX4 1.6 engine for many years and nobody was buying SX4"

So all the news of 1.6 engine is clear speculation. When they have not imported any 1.6 engines, how will they plonk them in the Ciaz? No 1.6 Diesel engine coming into the Ciaz